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The hardest thing I’ve learned in life so far is…

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The hardest thing I’ve learned in life so far is…

The hardest thing I’ve learned in life so far is that people are investments.

There is a particular brand of friend of which I think we all need one or two. I’m talking about that person you’ve not seen or spoken with in three years, yet you talk and laugh as if you’d just seen each other yesterday. You pick up right where you left off. Those are great friends, and I truly believe that we all need those in our lives. They remind us that no matter what has changed in our lives, there are pieces of us that aren’t so uncertain. They remind us that we are accepted.

But most relationships don’t seem to function well without communication. As a plant requires sunlight and nutrients and fertile soil in which to grow, a relationship requires time and attention and commitment. In such a fast-paced world, with so very many things demanding our attention all of the time, it can be difficult to give relationships the effort they need to thrive. But people need you. They need your attention. They need your love and affirmation and encouragement and understanding.

I confess, I am usually more concerned with those solitary activities that grow me as an individual (reading, writing, walking the dog, playing my guitar) than I am with investing in relationships. It’s a balance I’ve always struggled with—and probably always will! But I’m learning. And that’s the key, I think—keep learning. Keep figuring out how to love people better. Keep giving as much of yourself to your friendships as you can. Keep reminding others that they are important to you.

That’s the hardest thing I’ve learned (ahem…the hardest thing I am learning) in life so far.

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2 thoughts on “The hardest thing I’ve learned in life so far is…”

First of all, I LOVE the new layout, with the picture up top…not that there was anything wrong with the last page layout. You are so creative and you keep amazing me everytime you do somthing, spice up your blog page, write something so simply profound…

which brings me to my second of all…Last night, I was feeling really discouraged, and alone. i had tried to call someone, and they (again) did not answer the phone. And I feel into my little ‘woe is me, what’s wrong with me? why wont they talk to me?’ little mood where I get frustrated and decide I’m done trying to make relationships work, when the other party seems uncommitted.

Then, strangely, I found myself praying for strength that God would help me to give even more of my time to show that i am committed to keeping the relationships I have intake and to continue to build upon them.

so thank you for your blog, it has reassured me that I need to not give up, but to press harder into my relationships to make them better.

Hi Kristin! Glad you like the new look! I was nervous about changing it (I always am…it’s like changing my socks–what if they stink? What if they look funny? What if they aren’t comfortable?), but I really like the new look, too! I’m hoping it’s a cleaner look, easier to navigate, etc. I can’t take credit for the photo, though–it came with the theme design. I thought about changing it, but I really love that snap.

Relationships are difficult. People are complicated. I know what you mean, because I get to feeling a similar way you described–never with phone calls (usually people answer when it’s a blue moon and I call), but with letters and such. I think we have to remember two things:

1. It’s easy to assume that someone is avoiding us, when really–there are countless reasons why someone might not answer a phone call or respond to a letter or such.

2. People are worth the investment. Even if the person is difficult, there is something valuable about that person that I think we need to reinforce and encourage.

So yes! Be encouraged! Be reassured! I’m so glad that this was something God could use to reaffirm what He’d already said to you, because truthfully…I was having a hard time finding the right thing to write for this topic. (I wanted to just write “Trigonometry” and leave it at that!)